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🇳🇿 New Zealand /Conflict & Security

Vanuatu to take decades-long dispute with France over islands to international court

From RNZ Pacific · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Vanuatu is taking its long-standing territorial dispute with France over the Matthew and Hunter Islands to international arbitrators.
  • The uninhabited islands have been under French control since before Vanuatu's independence, but Vanuatu claims them as historically belonging to its people.
  • Previous negotiations, mediated by Australia and the UK, failed to resolve the sovereignty claims.

Vanuatu is escalating a decades-long dispute with France over the sovereignty of the Matthew and Hunter Islands, also known as Umaenupne and Umaeneag, by bringing the case before international arbitrators. The uninhabited islands, located south of Vanuatu and east of New Caledonia, have been controlled by France for decades, even after Vanuatu gained independence.

Since independence Vanuatu continues to fight for international recognition that Matthew and Hunter, Umaenupne and Umaeneag, has always belonged to the people of Vanuatu, to our children.

— Johnny KoanapoVanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister explained the nation's long-standing claim to the disputed islands.

Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister Johnny Koanapo stated that the sovereignty question must be settled by a third party, describing recent "intense" and "heated" talks with France on June 30 as unproductive. "Since independence Vanuatu continues to fight for international recognition that Matthew and Hunter, Umaenupne and Umaeneag, has always belonged to the people of Vanuatu, to our children," Koanapo said.

Koanapo highlighted that prior attempts at negotiation, facilitated by Australia in 2018 and the United Kingdom in 2019, also ended without resolution. "Now what remains is for Vanuatu to pursue other legal options available under international law," he added, expressing that France's stance is "an insult to us all."

Now what remains is for Vanuatu to pursue other legal options available under international law.

— Johnny KoanapoKoanapo outlined the next steps Vanuatu intends to take regarding the dispute.

Toney Tevi, acting director of Vanuatu's Department of Ocean and Maritime Boundaries, asserted that compromise is impossible, stating, "If you try and say it belongs to France, then I don't know where Paris is." He emphasized that the islands are intrinsically part of Vanuatu, viewing the French claim as a "colonial concept."

to us what France has done is an insult to us all.

— Johnny KoanapoThe Deputy Prime Minister expressed Vanuatu's strong negative reaction to France's position on the islands.

Tevi characterized France's actions as an unsurprising assertion of colonial power, comparing colonizers to thieves who believe they are acting rightly while possessing something that is not theirs. He cautioned against trying to understand the colonizer's mindset, as it risks adopting their perspective. The ownership of these islands is significant, as it would add 350,000 square kilometers to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of either country. France, through its Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, reiterated its position on French sovereignty while acknowledging areas of cooperation were discussed.

If you try and say it belongs to France, then I don't know where Paris is.

— Toney TeviThe acting director of the Department of Ocean and Maritime Boundaries emphasized the islands' integral connection to Vanuatu.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by RNZ Pacific in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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